An evening with the authors of Seeking Refuge

Last night I have the privilege of capturing the 3 authors of Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis share about their work in the field of resettling refugee individuals and families. Stephan Bauman, Matthew Soerens, and Dr. Issam Smeir shared from their vast experience in this field as well as personal stories that are so intermingled in their calling and work. Their book is very timely as refugee resettlement has become a highly politicized and hot topic and this book is very helpful in addressing many of the misconceptions about refugees and the United States refugee program.

The world is currently facing a massive refugee crisis and more people forced from their homes than any time in recent history. 20 million individuals have been forced by persecution to flee their home countries and even more people are internally displaced within the borders of their country. Half of these people are children. We have not seen this forced movement of people since World War II. As we were reminded last night these numbers are staggering and without faces and stories they are hard for us to even comprehend. But that is exactly what the authors encouraged us to do last night: listen to their stories, get involved, advocate, pray, and give. The current president of World Relief Stephan Bauman shared that "justice and love and not fear must drive our response." I was grateful to hear these authors share and hope that many of us are moved to compassion through their book.